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Apple shares ‘shocking evidence’ against former employee accused of stealing company data for OpenAI
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- DeepHorus
Apple has intensified its legal battle against OpenAI by presenting what it terms "shocking evidence" in a lawsuit alleging trade secret theft. The new details emerged after former Apple engineer Chang Liu, now an OpenAI employee, provided his former company work laptop for examination earlier this month. Apple claims the device reveals Liu used a confidential circuit schematic in his OpenAI work, along with a tool sharing a name with an internal Apple application.
The lawsuit, filed in a California court, stems from accusations that Liu and another former colleague, Yu-Ting Peng, misappropriated proprietary data. Apple alleges that OpenAI was "well-aware" of Liu's access to confidential files. Furthermore, the company states that after learning of Apple's investigation in June, Liu enlisted Peng to help destroy evidence.
Apple's filing asserts that the MacBook analysis disproves claims of a "fishing expedition," demonstrating that its trade secrets are in use and evidence is being destroyed. Previous court documents included text messages from Liu, sent with "crying laughing" emojis, where he acknowledged retaining access to Apple's systems. This directly contradicts OpenAI's earlier defense that Liu only accessed files post-employment to assist former colleagues.
OpenAI has maintained that residual access is a common administrative issue at Apple. However, Apple's current filing attributes Liu's continued access to his exploitation of a "rare, previously unknown authentication bug." The tech giant is now seeking a preliminary injunction to halt OpenAI's work on any hardware based on Apple's technology while the case proceeds.
Apple is also requesting expedited discovery to fast-track evidence gathering. The company suspects that more former employees may be involved in the alleged misconduct. An initial filing noted that over 400 ex-Apple staff are currently employed at OpenAI, highlighting the scale of talent movement between the firms.
This legal clash occurs as the AI industry faces heightened scrutiny over data practices and intellectual property. The outcome could set precedents for how technology companies safeguard secrets amid fierce competition for talent. Both firms, central to the AI hardware and software ecosystems, are now engaged in a high-stakes conflict that may influence future corporate poaching protocols.
